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History of the KIAAA

In January of 1969 (the year men first stepped on the moon), Elmer “Carp” Carpenter (Athletic Director at Wichita South High School) asked Art Newcomer (Athletic Director at Shawnee Mission East High School) if he would like to attend the Minnesota Secondary School Athletic Directors Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota to be held in March of that year. At this conference, both men (with the help of representatives of the Minnesota Secondary School Athletic Directors Association) discussed the idea of starting a Kansas Secondary School Athletic Directors Association.

At the Kansas State Track and Field Meet in May of 1969, a Saturday morning meeting was held at Wichita Heights High School. Attendees included Elmer “Carp” Carpenter, Art Newcomer, Frank Hinkle (Wichita East High School), Jim Lininger (Wichita Heights High School), Bob Howard (Kingman High School), Mark Webb (Wichita West High School) and Jim McDonald (El Dorado).

At this meeting, plans were adopted to form a Kansas Secondary School Athletic Directors Association. The decision was made to host the first conference at the Holiday Inn in Wichita, Kansas in November of 1969. Dr. Arzell Ball, former assistant Superintendent of the Wichita Public Schools and the new Superintendent of the Shawnee Mission Public Schools, served as the opening guest speaker. Additionally, Bryce Durbin, the former Executive Director of the KSHSAA, also served as a conference speaker.

The first-ever association officers were presented at the November 1969 conference. They were as follows:

In the early 1980s, the Kansas Secondary School Athletic Directors Association changed its name to the Kansas Interscholastic Athletic Administrator’s Association (KIAAA). The name change coincided with the inclusion of junior high and middle school athletic directors in the organization.

It should also be noted that Dr. Art Newcomer served on an eleven person committee in Elgin, Illinois (near Chicago) in February and July of 1975 to form the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA).

The first-ever Elmer “Carp” Carpenter Award was presented in 1981 in order to honor a leader in the area of athletics, education or both. Additionally, the first-everDr. Art Newcomer Award was presented in 2006 to honor an athletic director who had three years or less experience who demonstrates leadership qualities, outstanding work ethic and good communication skills. It should be noted that Dr. Newcomer is the only athletic director from Kansas to ever be awarded the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrator’s Association Award of Merit – the highest honor that can be bestowed on a high school athletic director. Only 24 athletic directors have ever been recognized with this honor.

Including the current president, J Means, 36 people have served as KIAAA President. In descending order, this list includes the following individuals. Please note that the President served a two-year term until 1992 when the term changed to a one-year commitment.